Roasted Cauliflower with Feta, Tomatoes, Walnuts, and Capers is a vibrant side dish with a variety of flavors, colors, and textures. An awesome appetizer too. JUMP TO RECIPE
The rise of cauliflower as a celebrity vegetable has been nothing short of meteoric. Much of this growth can be attributed to cauliflower rice, a term used to describe cauliflower that has been chopped into tiny pieces that resemble grains of rice. So staggering is the growth of this vegetable in disguise that huge, multinational brands are now jumping in to capture market share. Green Giant (a division of General Mills) now harvests over 100,000 heads of cauliflower daily to meet the growing demand – a six-fold increase from just a few years ago! I’ve done my part as a food blogger by posting a variety of new-fangled cauliflower-based dishes (see the last paragraph for links to these recipes), but recently I had the urge to go back to using cauliflower in a more traditional way and came up with this recipe for Roasted Cauliflower with Feta, Tomatoes, Walnuts, and Capers.
I think of this dish as cauliflower all dressed up. It’s got a fabulous variety of flavors, colors, and textures, and is much simpler to prepare than recipes that call for cauliflower rice. The sweet roasted tomatoes and salty feta, along with tangy, briny capers, and toasted walnuts, highlight all that is right about this cruciferous vegetable. A squeeze of lemon on top right before serving is like a little bit of extra icing on an otherwise perfect cake! If you haven’t planned your Thanksgiving menu yet, Roasted Cauliflower with Feta, Tomatoes, Walnuts, and Capers would be a great, healthy side dish to consider.
The only real work involved in making Roasted Cauliflower with Feta, Tomatoes, Walnuts, and Capers is prepping the cauliflower. Ina Garten (a/k/a The Barefoot Contessa) is making the rounds promoting her new cookbook, and I recently saw her on TV demonstrating the most efficient method for cutting cauliflower into florets. Here’s a video of the technique. This is definitely the easiest and neatest way to do it and you’ll end up with whole florets that you can slice into pieces that are all roughly the same size for even roasting.
If you love cauliflower and want to see more recipes using it, check out White Cheddar Cauliflower Donuts; Curried Cauliflower Blender Soup; Curried Cauliflower Skillet Pizza with Apple, Cheddar, and Chicken; Mac and Cheese in Cauliflower Sauce; Cauliflower Monte Cristo Sandwiches; Shaved Brussels Sprouts Over Crispy Cauliflower Cakes; Baby Kale Caesar Salad with Cauliflower Fritters; Sweet Potato Cauliflower Cakes with Dairy-Free Cashew Sour Cream; and Cauliflower Roulade.
If you make Roasted Cauliflower with Feta, Tomatoes, Walnuts, and Capers don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me over on Instagram @QueenofMyKitchen. I’d love to see your creation!
- 1½ lbs. cauliflower florets, halved or cut into quarters if large (see notes)
- 8 ounces grape tomatoes, whole (about 1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ⅓ cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
- ¼ cup capers, drained
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- ½ lemon
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Place the cauliflower and grape tomatoes on a half sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss until the vegetables are coated with the oil.
- Roast on the bottom rack of the oven for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time.
- When the vegetables are done, sprinkle on the feta, walnuts, capers, and parsley. Squeeze the lemon on top and stir everything together thoroughly.
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